English Lessons: Ferts

I have nothing interesting to say about the past week - my last trip to Valencia was cold and rainy and that's about it - so instead I'll report about my side-splitting coffee break today.

I went for a coffee with the "guys", the three young guys that make up the lively part of our team. Zak repeated a joke he'd told me in English earlier in the afternoon, a typical guy joke about flatulance. As I listened to him recount the story in French, I noticed he used a sound effect in place of a verb.

I asked, "Don't you know the word in French?"

"Yes," he answered, "but I prefer to use the sound for the joke. What is the word in English?"

Suddenly three very serious sets eyes were looking to me for an English lesson. And I couldn't bring myself to saying it without giggling. What am I, 10?

Instead I spelled it out.

"Ah," Zak said, nodding while he digested this new information. "Fert".

The other two repeated it quietly to themselves: fert. fert.

Well I just couldn't let them go on like that. "Actually," I said when I had composed myself, "it's more like 'art'".

They tried out the new pronounciation between themselves, testing the way the word sounded, repeating it over and over very seriously. In the meantime, I had to set my coffee down to wipe the tears of laughter out of my eyes.

I felt like I was living in an episode of the Simpsons.